Old allies, new equation? Why SAD and BJP may join hands for 2027 Punjab assembly elections

NEW
DELHI:
Will
the
BJP
a d
the

Shi oma i
Akali
Dal
evive
thei
decades-old
ties
i
Pu jab
fo
the
2027
assembly
electio s?
Ha ya a
chief
mi iste
Nayab
Si gh
Sai i,
who
has
bee
playi g
a
key
ole
i
BJP’s
Pu jab
pla s,
has
uled
out
a y
such
possibility.
His
de ial
comes
amid
a
st o g
allia ce
buzz
t igge ed
by
a
meeti g
betwee
P ime
Mi iste
Na e d a
Modi
a d
Shi oma i
Akali
Dal
(SAD)
chief
Sukhbi
Si gh
Badal
last
week
–
the
fi st
such
meeti g
afte
the
two
pa ties
s apped
ties
6
yea s
ago
ove
the
3
fa m
bills.BJP’s
Sai i
has
played
dow
allia ce
umou s.
Whe
asked
to
comme t
o
the
meeti g,
Sai i
eplied
i
Pu jabi,
“Nahi,
aise
koyi
gall
ahi
hai
(No,
the e
is
o
such
thi g)”.
The
Ha ya a
chief
mi iste
said
the
P ime
Mi iste
is
the
voice
of
140
c o e
people.
“If
a yo e
wa ts
to
meet
him,
his
doo s
a e
ope ;
a yo e
ca
meet.
Political
pa ties
keep
meeti g
him
fo
va ious
issues.”Sai i
fu the
added,
“Bha atiya
Ja ata
Pa ty
ka
gathba dha
Pu jab
di
ja ta
de
aal
hai.
(BJP’s
allia ce
is
with
the
people
of
Pu jab).
A d
I
say
this
with
g eat
co fide ce
because
I
meet
people
the e.
I
Pu jab,
the
BJP
is
fo mi g
its
gove me t.”

So,
ca
Sai i’s
de ial
be
take
at
face
value?
O
is
it
just
political
heto ic
to
keep
p essu e
o
a
egio al
pa ty
which
appea s
despe ate
fo
a
allia ce
with
the
BJP?

SAD’s
electo al
decli e

Sukhbi
Si gh
Badal,
who
has
se ved
two
te ms
as
deputy
chief
mi iste
of
Pu jab
a d
whose
fathe
Pa kash
Si gh
Badal
was
a
5-time
chief
mi iste ,
has
bee
st uggli g
to
make
a
political
comeback
i
the
state.
I
the
last
two
assembly
electio s,
his
pa ty,
SAD,
has
bee
pushed
to
the
ma gi s.The
decli e
bega
i
the
2017
assembly
electio s,
whe
the
SAD
wo
o ly
15
of
the
94
seats
it
co tested,
with
a
vote
sha e
of
25.24%.
This
was
a
sha p
decli e
compa ed
to
its
2012
pe fo ma ce
whe
the
SAD
had
wo
56
seats
with
a
vote
sha e
of
34.73%.
If
2017
was
a
wo y,
2022,
afte
it
s apped
ties
with
the
BJP
a d
co tested
alo e,
was
a
clea
wa i g:
the
SAD
could
wi
o ly
3
seats,
a d
its
vote
sha e
dipped
to
18.38%.This
decli e
was
ot
limited
to
just
assembly
electio s.
I
the
Lok
Sabha
electio s
too,
SAD
suffe ed
a
decli e.
I
2019,
the
SAD
polled
27.76%
of
votes
a d
wo
2
seats.
Five
yea s
late ,
while
the
seat
educed
to
1,
the
vote
sha e
dipped
to
13.48%.
I
2014,
the
SAD
tally
i
Lok
Sabha
was
4
seats
a d
a
26.37%
vote
sha e.Clea ly,
fo
Sukhbi
Si gh
Badal,
both
the
c isis
a d
the
test
a e
eal.
A d
that
pe haps
explai s
his
visible
despe atio
fo
a
allia ce
with
the
BJP.
A d
while
the
saff o
pa ty
may
eject
allia ce
umou s,
the
SAD
has
se t
clea
sig als
of
a
st ategic
shift
—
exte di g
a
f ie dly
ha d
to
the
BJP.

Badal’s
cha ged
tu e
o
delimitatio

I
Ap il
this
yea ,
Badal
had
c iticised
the
Ce t e’s
move
o
delimitatio
of
Lok
Sabha
seats
i
the
ga b
of
the
Wome ’s
Rese vatio
Bill.
“Pu jab
is
p edomi a tly
a
mi o ity
cha acte
state.
We
will
be
the
biggest
victim
of
this
populatio -based
delimitatio .
Compa ed
with
a
omi al
i c ease
i
seats
fo
Pu jab,
Ha ya a
will
wit ess
a
ea ly
hu d ed
pe
ce t
i c ease
a d
double
the
umbe
of
its
seats
i
the
Lok
Sabha,”
Badal
had
the
said
i
a
stateme t.Fou
mo ths
late ,
the
SAD
chief
has
lite ally
take
a
U-tu
o
the
issue.
Afte
his
meeti g
with
PM
Modi,
Badal
cha ged
his
sta d
a d
dema ded
the
immediate
impleme tatio
of
the
Wome ’s
Rese vatio
Bill.
He
also
suppo ted
the
U io
gove me t’s
p oposal
to
i c ease
Pa liame t
seats
i
states
by
50
pe
ce t.I
a
ew
stateme t
afte
his
meeti g
with
PM
Modi,
Badal
said
the
pa ty
stood
fo
a
fai
a d
equitable
delimitatio
exe cise
that
e su ed
equal
i c ease
i
ep ese tatio
to
all
states.
“This
will
e su e
justice
is
do e
to
all
states,”
he
said.

‘Why
so
despe ate
fo
BJP
allia ce?’

Badal’s
cha ged
sta d
p ompted
a
dig
f om
Pu jab
Co g ess
p eside t
Ama i de
Si gh
Raja
Wa i g,
who
asked
the
Shi oma i
Akali
Dal
chief
as
to
why
he
was
so
despe ate
fo
a
electo al
allia ce
with
the
BJP
that
he
had
to
make
a
U-tu
o
a
se sitive
matte
like
delimitatio
of
the
assembly
a d
pa liame ta y
co stitue cies.“What
cha ged
withi
these
mo ths
that
you
sta ted
seei g
me it
i
the
same
Bill,
you
othe wise
fou d
agai st
Pu jab’s
i te ests?”
he
asked.
“Sukhbi
has
tu ed
mo e
loyal
tha
the
ki g
withi
o
time,”
Wa i g
said.He
said
whe
the
Akalis
had
failed
to
each
a
allia ce
with
the
BJP
ahead
of
the
pa liame ta y
electio s,
Badal
had
claimed
that
he
did
ot
wa t
to
comp omise
o
the
i te ests
of
Pu jab.
“Now
that
you
a e
despe ate
fo
you
ow
su vival,
you
have
simply
fo gotte
the
i te ests
of
Pu jab
fo
which
you
claimed
to
have
take
a
sta d
i
2024,”
said
Wa i g.Chief
mi iste
Bhagwa t
Ma
also
took
potshots
at
Badal
a d
said,
“BJP
ca
make
them
do
whateve
they
wa t.
SAD
just
wa ts
to
get
back
i to
the
cabi et
i
Delhi
o
get
i to
a
allia ce
with
the
BJP
i
Pu jab.”These
eactio s
would
suggest
that
both
the
uli g
AAP
a d
the
Co g ess
a e
pe haps
awa e
how
a
pote tial
BJP-Akali
allia ce
could
cha ge
the
dy amics
o
g ou d.
While
they
may
play
dow
the
possible
impact
of
this
allia ce,
they
would
be
keepi g
a
close
eye
o
the
developme ts.
AAP
would
hope
that
the
2027
Pu jab
co test
stays
fou -co e ed
so
that
the
uli g
pa ty
ca
be efit
f om
the
divisio
of
oppositio
votes.
The
Co g ess,
o
the
othe
ha d,
ealises
that
SAD
could
help
the
BJP
i
u al
a eas
a d
add
to
the
pa ty’s
challe ges
i
the
state.Little
wo de ,
Badal
would
ot
mi d
thei
political
ba bs
as
lo g
as
he
ca
secu e
the
futu e
of
his
pa ty
with
the
BJP.
A d
that
b i gs
us
to
Sai i’s
ema k
playi g
dow
the
meeti g
betwee
PM
Modi
a d
Sukhbi
Badal.

Why
SAD
allia ce
ca
help
BJP

Fo
the
BJP,
the
Akali
associatio
is
electo ally
impo ta t,
at
least
fo
ow.
The
BJP
has
just
two
seats
i
the
cu e t
assembly
with
a
vote
sha e
of
6.6%.
The
pa ty
could
ot
wi
a
si gle
seat
i
the
2024
Lok
Sabha
electio s
despite
polli g
18.65%
of
votes.
This
was
almost
double
of
the
9.74%
that
the
BJP
ma aged
i
2019
Lok
Sabha
electio s.
It
was
also
a
huge
jump
f om
the
2022
assembly
electio s
whe
the
BJP
got
just
6.6%
of
votes.
But
the
fact
that
BJP
could
wi
2
Lok
Sabha
seats
i
2019
despite
a
low
vote
sha e
poi ts
to
the
impo ta ce
of
SAD
allia ce
i
co ve ti g
votes
to
seats
i
the
state.Despite
the
sha p
decli e
i
its
electo al
fo tu es,
the
Shi oma i
Akali
Dal
still
has
good
suppo t
base
i
u al
Pu jab
a d
also
has
a
st o g
Sikh-ce t ic
egio al
ide tity
–
both
of
which
ca
help
the
BJP
i
case
of
a
allia ce.
Combi ed
with
BJP’s
u ba
suppo t
base,
this
ca
tu
i to
a
wi i g
combi atio
fo
the
two
pa ties.
The
SAD
has
bee
goi g
all
out
to
i c ease
its
base
a d
p ese ce
i
the
state.The
co t ove sy
a ou d
movie
Satluj,
which
a ates
the
life
sto y
of
activist
Jaswa t
Si gh
Khal a
–
who
u cove ed
alleged
ext ajudicial
c ematio s
i
Pu jab
betwee
mid-1980s
a d
ea ly-1990s,
gave
SAD
the
much- eeded
boost
to
woo
its
co e
vote s.
Whe
the
movie
was
take
dow
f om
the
OTT
platfo m,
SAD
a a ged
its
sc ee i g
ac oss
Pu jab.
I
a
post
o
X
i
Pu jabi,
Badal
had
the
said,
“I
eve y
village
a d
co e
of
Pu jab,
the
SAD
will
sc ee
the
film
‘Satluj’
based
o
i huma
at ocities
i flicted
o
thousa ds
of
i oce t
Sikh
youth
a d
Sikh
pe so alities
like
Shaheed
Bhai
Jaswa t
Si gh
Ji
Khal a
du i g
the
Co g ess
egime,
so
that
ou
child e
a d
futu e
ge e atio s
ca
be
tho oughly
acquai ted
with
the
opp essio
i flicted.”Badal
had
justified
the
move
a d
said:”This
is
aimed
at
e su i g
that
today’s
youth
a d
ou
comi g
ge e atio s
k ow
about
the
u speakable
t agedy
a d
ep essio
u leashed
by
the
the
Co g ess
gove me ts
agai st
Bhai
Jaswa t
Si gh
Khal a
a d
thousa ds
of
othe
i oce t
Sikh
youth
who
we e
elimi ated
th ough
fake
e cou te s.”
The
agg essive
SAD
move
was
clea ly
a
move
to
co solidate
its
‘Pa thic’
vote
ba k
–
a
political
mobilisatio
su ou di g
the
Sikh
commu ity’s
collective
ide tity.The
SAD
pe haps
ca
compleme t
the
BJP
if
the
two
pa ties
eve tually
ag ee
fo
a
allia ce.

BJP’s
bid
to
domi ate?

He ce,
the
BJP’s
postu i g
vis-a-vis
the
SAD
allia ce
at
p ese t
pe haps
has
mo e
to
do
with
asse ti g
who
will
dictate
te ms
if
a d
whe
the
two
pa ties
joi
ha ds.
A d
this
is
impo ta t
as
till
2020,
whe
the
pa t e ship
s apped,
the
SAD
was
the
se io
pa t e
i
Pu jab’s
NDA
allia ce
a d
the
BJP
played
seco d
fiddle.
That
political
dy amic
has
cha ged
ow.
By
epeatedly
asse ti g
that
it
will
co test
the
Pu jab
electio s
o
its
ow ,
the
BJP
has
clea ly
sp ead
the
message
that
it
will
lead
the
fight
a d
ot
play
the
ju io
pa t e
to
a yo e.

He ce,
the
saff o
pa ty
would
ot
wa t
to
miss
a y
oppo tu ity
to
ei fo ce
this
message
to
the
SAD
leade ship
a d
its
cad es.T ue,
the
BJP
is
wo ki g
o
a
oadmap
to
i c ease
its
political
base
a d
st e gth
a d
become
a
i depe de t
political
fo ce
i
Pu jab.
This
is
ma ifested
i
the
seve al
steps
that
the
pa ty
has
take
i
Pu jab.
F om
P ime
Mi iste ’s
Pu jab
allies
to
pa ty
chief
Niti
Nabi ’s
push
a d
ta geted
acquisitio
f om
political
ivals,
the
BJP
has
made
it
clea
that
it
mea s
busi ess
i
Pu jab.
But
the
pa ty
pe haps
will
eed
mo e
time
to
do
a
Be gal
i
Pu jab,
if
at
all
it
eve
happe s.
Fo
ow,
SAD
pe haps
could
be
its
best
bet
i
Pu jab.

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